


This World To You

by thisislegit



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Getting Together, Humor, M/M, Mentions of other characters - Freeform, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Relationship(s), Romance, Slow Build, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-23
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2020-10-26 11:23:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20741402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thisislegit/pseuds/thisislegit
Summary: He tossed the coin in and rang the bell. Clapping his hands twice, he bowed and prayed. What the hell should he do with the damn house? He clapped again, and bowed turning to grab his suitcase when he heard an odd, barking sound.It was a fox.It was an unusually orange fox, with black feet and muzzle. Its legs looked too long for a fox’s, though. It looked more like a maned wolf as it sat down by Vegeta’s suitcase.“No.” Vegeta started wheeling his suitcase away, but the patter of paws on the stone ground followed him.





	1. Tell Tail Sign

**Author's Note:**

> look at me back on my bullshit  
shoutout to
> 
> [San](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gilliganssighland/pseuds/gilliganssighland)
> 
> for the beta read on this chapter! go check out their mad cute fic and leave a comment or five  
as per usual with my longer fics, the story name is the name of the song i listen to while writing it, so go ahead and check out EVE on yt

The shrine of Mt. Kitsune hadn’t changed in the decades he’d been gone from home. He’d thought weathering, age, and the usual typhoons that hit the area would render it to shambles over almost 30 years, but the small wooden box with its red roof, offering box, and bell for prayers looked exactly the same as it did when he was a child. The small bouquet of flowers, burned ash from incense, and lingering scent of ivy told him this place was still being used by the locals to some extent.

Tightening his grip on his suitcase handle, he briefly wondered why he came up here. He remembered a smaller version of himself, no higher than his mother’s knee, pouting as he ran up the steps while they held onto his previously unwanted baby brother. His mother damn near prayed for everything. A successful birth, a cure of illness, a passing of a family or friend, and so on. If it was something they thought needed prayer, there Vegeta would be following after them to climb the short stepped, but high stone work staircase to this little box. Sometimes he’d ring the bell too hard, and a large hand would gently cover his own, pulling it back and setting it on his lap. When his mother became too ill to come to the shrine, Vegeta was doing it on his own in junior high school. He would dash as fast as he could to catch the next train after judo practice, and take the steps three at a time to drop in five zeni, ring the bell, and pray in the same style as his mother had done. Toss the coin into the box. Ring the bell three times. Clap twice. Bow. Hold your hands together with eyes closed and pray silently. Clap again. Bow again with arms at the sides, and leave.

His entire junior high school career he’d done this, his mother never getting worse or better. It wasn’t until his first day of high school, with the influx of tests, books, and paperwork that he’d forgotten to go. His father taking him to and from school. The next morning his mother passed in the hospital, and he wasn’t sure if it was coincidence or if his lack of diligence was to blame. Maybe the fox god had been mocking him? Holding his mother’s life on a string for offerings, and punishing him at his first slip up. Yes, it was easy to blame such things on some fake deity when he was younger. His father dragging them up there after his mother’s funeral made his eyes burn while he’d bit his lip hard enough for the taste of copper to stain his tongue. Tarble had continued the practice despite Vegeta vowing never to go back there again. His father joined Tarble on occasion, but that soon stopped as well.

Was it ironic or sad that Vegeta finally returned here after his father’s funeral? It’d fallen to him as the eldest, to claim the estate and clean it up before moving in or selling it. He was still mulling over what to do. Preserving it wouldn’t do much. Why keep paying for an empty house when someone could use it? It also wasn’t old enough to be donated to a museum although the architecture was high quality. He lifted one hand up to rub his temples.

The fox god of this shrine provided guidance, good fortune, and luck. Which was a load of shit. Vegeta always had to figure things out on his own, and no amount of luck got him the life he had today. An ex-wife turned best friend, two incredibly smart and smart-mouthed children, four nieces and nephews with a fifth on the way that made Vegeta want to yell at Tarble to let his damn sister-in-law rest. If the couple weren’t so in love that it was sickening, he’d have said it already. When did his wallet get into his hand?

“Hmph. Old habits,” Vegeta took a ten zeni coin out, and pocketed his wallet again. “All right fox god, you get one more chance.”

He tossed the coin in and rang the bell. Clapping his hands twice, he bowed and prayed. What the hell should he do with the damn house? He clapped again, and bowed turning to grab his suitcase when he heard an odd, barking sound.

It was a fox.

It was an unusually orange fox, with black feet and muzzle. Its legs looked too long for a fox’s, though. It looked more like a maned wolf as it sat down by Vegeta’s suitcase.

“No.” Vegeta started wheeling his suitcase away, but the patter of paws on the stone ground followed him.

“Do not follow me.”

The pattering sped up until the bright, orange fox was walking next to him.

“Oh, so you’re a smartass.” Vegeta got to the top of the stairs and looked down at the fox.

This was clearly an adult fox, but it shouldn’t have been so comfortable with humans. Maybe a local took it in as a kit to nurse it, or someone wanted an exotic pet only to release it when the responsibility became too large? Either way, it wasn’t his problem. Tarble was the zoologist, not Vegeta.

Wait a minute. Tarble. Why didn’t he just think about giving the house to Tarble? He pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation at himself. The man had an army of a family, the house was in the countryside for him to start new animal preservation projects, and his wife already had a garden too large for the mansion they were renting. He could already hear Bulma’s voice in the back of his head.

_ Bulma curled a blade of long, blue hair around her manicured hands, “You know for a guy with three degrees, you’re really stupid.” _

_ They were walking along the boardwalk back to the car. He’d had Trunks on his shoulders, the kid having fallen asleep from the weight on Vegeta’s head and the soft snoring that followed. _

_ “Are you only saying that because you have five?” _

_ “Six, actually.” _

He shook his head, and looked back down to see that the fox was gone. That didn’t count. That wasn’t guidance. That was just Vegeta not thinking through all his options. He still had a house to clean up, and this proved nothing. Snorting, he hefted his suitcase up, and started down the stairs, two at a time to keep his balance. Hopefully, his father didn’t hoard too many things while he was gone.

* * *

Gure was all for moving into the house when Vegeta called, but since she was seven months into her pregnancy, he insisted she and Tarble take time while he cleaned the house out. All they needed to do was get the movers, and arrange school things for the children. Everything was going smoothly.

Everything was going too smoothly.

It couldn’t be because of the shrine. A week had passed between Vegeta going to the shrine and now. He’d organized his father’s things. Trashed old mail, contacted card companies to cancel accounts, mailed copies of the death certificate as evidence, separated what could be donated versus what would be given to recycle shops versus what also had to be trashed. He’d never dusted and vacuumed so much in his life, but there was always another door to open, another closet to find, another nook or cranny hiding by the sliding doors small enough to fit a child. Vegeta mourned for the hours lost he could see Tarble using to find his kids in this place. He remembered it being huge as a child, the idea fading when he was a teenager due to the maids helping clean. Now though, doing everything by himself, he realized his first assumption was right. This house was too big. Even if it weren’t for the lingering memories in every room, he wouldn’t be able to stand living here.

The issue was, he wasn’t tired. No matter how much he cleaned, or moved, or arranged, the familiar creeping of exhaustion never came. What made things worse was his trips to the grocery to get food forced him to pass by Mt. Kitsune shrine’s stairs to and from the house. Vegeta knew that little box didn’t give him guidance and good fortune, but everything was going so well. It made a little spark of fury spike in his stomach. He needed to prove it was all in his head. Coincidences happen all the time, but he was paranoid, and he knew he wouldn’t sleep until he’d put these thoughts to rest. Standing up, he didn’t bother changing out of his sweatpants and white t-shirt. The weather was too humid for his usual attire, and he’d been cleaning all week. His button-downs left to air dry on the upstairs balcony after getting them dirtied with smudges and dust during the process. Vegeta pocketed his wallet, house keys, and phone before putting on his sandals and heading out.

The shrine wasn’t far, and as he ascended the stairs two at a time, he remembered why the damn thing was here.

_ He was small, in his mother’s arms as they rubbed his back. _

_ “The mountain used to be much bigger. Almost as tall as Mt. Yoshino, but business owners thought it was a hindrance.” They pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “The city official wanted to knock it down and expand the commerce of the city. Kenjiro had big dreams, but he didn’t respect the land.” _

_ Vegeta hummed, his eyelids starting to droop as he pressed his face further into his mother’s chest. _

_ “Much of the wildlife was displaced or killed during the process and this angered the foxes of the mountain. Kenjiro ignored the warnings from the elders, and the priests nearby. His eyes had grown larger than his stomach.” They paused turning Vegeta in their arms, so he rested in their lap and the crook of their elbow. “One day, the mountain roared, and a horrible accident followed. Rocks rained from the sky, and when the smoke cleared, a single fox stood atop the rubble. Kenjiro cancelled the demolition project, fearing his reputation would be further ruined in the eyes of the people. The locals then built the shrine in atonement for the damage they caused, and the god has forgiven them granting them guidance as not to repeat the same mistakes.” _

Vegeta reached the top of the stairs by the end of the memory. He hadn’t researched the incident until late high school, curiosity eating away at him. It turned out that a mining collapse had killed ten of the workers. The workers all happened to be relatives of the locals, and the city official, not wanting to lose face, stopped construction saying the gods raised their hand to him in protest.

What a huge load. He went up to the small box and pulled out a ten zeni coin. He needed to pray for something ridiculous. Something that would never happen at the drop of a hat even if he did everything right, but what? Winning the lottery seemed far-fetched, but he could easily buy a cheap scratch off and get three or four thousand zeni out if it. No, he needed something more impossible. Grinning, he tossed the coin in and rang the bell. He clapped twice, wiping the smile off his face, as he bowed and prayed. Let him meet the love of his life today. He clapped again and bowed once more before opening his eyes. Turning around, he saw the fox from last week walk out from the bushes. They stared at each other, and Vegeta rolled his eyes.

He came around the same time last week. Of course the fox would be here looking for scraps. He started for the stairs, the pattering of paws following him until it was walking right beside him.

“I don’t have any food, so buzz off,” Vegeta took the stairs two at a time.

The fox didn’t stop following him, though. Last time it had stayed at the top where the tori gate stood like a barrier, but this time it was on Vegeta’s tail. Just as he was reaching the last set of stairs to the sidewalk, it darted between his legs into the bushes, tripping him.

“SHIT.” There was no time to stop his fall, and the height he was falling from would definitely leave him with a broken limb if he landed wrong. He tried twisting his body to land on his side, his eyes closed as he braced for impact when he hit something softer instead. There was a deep "oof!" and a clattering of wood on stone.

Opening his eyes, Vegeta saw blue and a white logo that read "Stars Shoot Far". If it weren't for the groaning, he wouldn't have realized he'd fallen on another person. 

"Ugh. Are ya okay?" The voice wasn't deep, but it was masculine and groggy.

Looking up, he was met with big black eyes, and Vegeta felt his face flush with embarrassment. He scrambled to get off the stranger, feeling something wet crunch under his arm as he rolled and pushed himself back onto his feet. There was a thin, now opened box of incense that had spilled everywhere, and crushed white flowers. Inspecting his elbow, Vegeta found a few petals and leaves as evidence of his error.

The man was wearing a dark blue t-shirt and obnoxiously orange sweatpants tucked into short, black boots. He was also waiting for an answer from how he was wincing as he rubbed the back of his head. His wild hair was dusted with brown dirt from the landing.

"I'm fine. Who are you?"

The man started gathering up his incense, "I should be askin you that! You're the one runnin down the stairs not lookin where you're steppin."

Vegeta rolled his eyes, as he bent down to help. It was his fault, technically. He should've known that stupid fox would try and trick him. Speaking of which, Vegeta glanced back and didn't see the animal anywhere. Must've ran back into the woods.

"Uh hello? Ya gonna tell me your name? Are ya a tourist or somethin?"

"I'm not a tourist you half-wit. I was born here, and my name's Vegeta."

"Vegeta? You got the same name as that old, rich guy up on the hill." The man picked up his flowers and pouted at the sight.

Vegeta sucked in a breath. "Yes. That was my father."

"Oh... I'm sorry for your loss."

"Shut up, and tell me how much those cheap flowers cost, so I can pay for them, and ignore your existence."

"I don't know. Baba always gives em to me for free."

Vegeta was counting the bills, "Then guess, and we can end this conversation."

"Hmm," the man tapped his chin in thought, "how about a coffee?"

"That's six hundred zeni right?"

"No, I mean take me out for coffee."

Vegeta froze, snapping his wallet shut as he said, "You've got to be kidding me."

"Come on. Mysterious guy falls on me after leaving the shrine I visit every week, and is related to that passed away mountain hermit. I'm curious about ya."

"Did you just call my recently deceased father a mountain hermit?"

"Well, I mean..." The man was rubbing the back of his neck.

"What's your name."

"Goku! Son Goku."

"I'd like to say it was a pleasure, Son Goku, but I'm not one for lying." He shoved six hundred zeni into Goku's shirt pocket, and started walking off. 

"Eh? Wait!" 

"No, and if you try to follow me I will call the authorities." Vegeta talked loudly without yelling, his temper on the verge of flaring as he went over the events.

Of course the small shrine didn't grant his prayer. The first time was a fluke, and that damned fox was a nuisance. He swore if he ever saw that thing or Goku on his property, he'd call animal control.


	2. As Fur As I Know

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you [Ranna](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Acaranna/pseuds/Acaranna) for betaing this chapter! I'm actually p far ahead storywise and writing wise, I just do not have a regular beta right now meaning updates are slow and I apologize.

The next day it was raining. The forecast didn’t call for rain, but Vegeta took advantage of the sudden change. This gave him the opportunity to look for any leaks in the house. Carrying a flashlight for darker rooms, Vegeta began scoping the house from the first floor. He knew his father wouldn’t get such an extravagant house and let it go to shit while he was alive, but it was better safe than sorry. It also gave him something to do, as there was no internet. Vegeta was stuck with using his data, or watching tapes on the TV because cable hadn’t been set up either. He didn’t remember recording that much Doraemon when he was younger, and he didn’t feel like reliving his awkward teen years from the stash of magazines hidden under the wooden panels beneath his bed.

He needed to remove those. Were they still there? Marching up the stairs, he went into his old bedroom turned guest room for the few times he visited. They couldn’t be. One part of him hoped they were, meaning his father never found them. If they were gone, well, it’s not like it was something he could laugh about with Vegeta Sr. now. Lifting the front of the bed frame, he felt around until his finger dug into a familiar hole. Vegeta pressed back the panel revealing a worn cardboard box. The material looked newer than it should as he pulled it out and set it on the floor in front of him. He made sure to gently lower the bed frame and then sit on the floor. No use scratching the polish.

Placing a hand on the lid, he wondered if he was really going to flip through this. Vegeta didn’t remember the ones he’d snatched in a flurry when at the convenience store. Covering them up with comic magazines, and pretending he’d grabbed them by accident if the cashier pointed it out. Slipping them into his jacket after going to Raditz’s or Turles’ house to borrow, and locking his door before Tarble would barge in asking him to play. Using the emergency flashlight at night under the blankets as he frantically flipped through the images and flicking the switch off to shove everything under his pillow when he heard footsteps.

Was he really about to look through these? His hand taking the lid off said yes, and Vegeta blinked at the contents. He then covered his face with his hand. Is this really the stuff he got off to?

There were a bunch of Beppin magazines, a few Femme Fatales, and the occasional gay magazine tossed into the mix. But this wasn’t what made Vegeta place a hand onto his face. No, it was the envelope he remembered getting in his locker one day after judo practice that sat on top. Inside was a confession letter, and a lewd picture of that Marron girl in a push-up bra. He never said anything about it since he never acted on it, but he did use the picture every so often. Thinking about it, she and Bulma both had big hair and a big rack. Talk about having his poor taste determined early for him.

It was a good thing young Vegeta didn’t have the internet or basic cable when he was growing up, or things may have turned out differently and not in a good way.

Welp, that was enough time spent basking in his memories.

Time to burn these. 

Vegeta closed the box and headed downstairs. It’s a good thing getting distracted wouldn’t cause him trouble. His stay extended from two weeks to three when he realized all the things he’d have to do for his brother to move in. Three to four, when he saw the amount of paperwork it would all require. If Vegeta wasn’t between contracts right now, the long vacation would hurt him. Was it coincidence that his father passed in his sleep when only Vegeta was free?

A scratching at the back door made him turn his head. That was either a raccoon, or a stray cat trying to get in. There weren’t any bears in this area, and the boars stayed higher up on the mountain. The scratching continued as he set the box down and a crack of thunder followed. A long whining came from the other side of the door when he got closer. Maybe it was someone’s lost dog? He normally didn’t give a shit about animals, but this was the kind of town where people knew a little bit about everyone. He could check.

Just a quick check. He slid the door open a fraction and saw orange fur only to snap the door shut.

“Go away!”

The scratching picked up again, and the low whimpers of the fox grew louder.

"I don't take in strays. Get lost or find someone else's pity to cling to," Vegeta stepped back from the door, the scratching and whining turning into crying from the beast on the other side.

Bra would've let the thing inside by now, begging Vegeta to keep it, but he could say no to her. People understood what  _ no  _ meant while animals just kept going unless you trained it out of them. He didn't even like animals. So, why was he opening the door?

The fox sat on the porch just out of reach of the rain and sneezed for good measure. It's almost like it was trying to make itself look as pitiful as possible.

"As soon as the rain stops you're back on the street. Do you understand?"

The fox let out another odd bark and waited for Vegeta to move. He did, the animal stepping inside slowly, and sitting down on the rug in the warm house. Vegeta closed the door behind it only to see the damn thing staring at him.

"What? Do you think I'm going to waste my good towels on you?"

The fox seemed to shrug before standing on all fours and starting to shake.

"NO. NO NO STOP." Vegeta held his hands up as water and mud splattered him.

The fox stopped, sitting back down, still dripping wet as it looked at him again. He probably deserved that. Taking a deep breath, Vegeta pointed at the ground and said, "Stay."

He needed to go find the old towels ready for the trash bin.

* * *

Vegeta didn't expect to find himself sitting across from a fox in his old homes' living room, but there he was in his pajamas after a quick shower. The fox didn't look at him much after getting a few towels to lay on, so they weren't as obnoxious as a cat or dog would've been. 

Not sure what else to do, he picked up his phone and pressed the only number he had on speed dial.

"Hello?"

"There's a fox in my house."

"...Weirdest booty call you've ever done, but I'm guessing you want me to chase it out?" Bulma said. "Like, in a sexy way?"

"How in the hell would you manage that?" Vegeta narrowed his eyes and rested one arm on the low table in front of him.

"Oh, so we're doing phone sex now."

"Bulma."

There was the sound of a child's chattering in the background, and Vegeta waited politely when asked to hold. It sounded like Trunks at first, but the high pitched squeal alerted him that either it was Bra, or Bra had run into the room.

"Vegeta, let me call you back on face time okay?" Bulma didn't bother waiting for his answer, hanging up after she finished her sentence.

She'd always been like that though. Asking and acting without waiting for an answer. It infuriated him at the worst of times, but he had difficulty giving answers in a timely manner, if at all. At first, this sort of give and take worked for them, but when kids got involved, they both realized that it didn't work in a family structure. Maybe if they were different people it would've lasted, but her name popped up on his screen meaning he'd have to be melancholic later.

"Put the gremlins away," Vegeta said seeing Trunks and Bra on either side of their mother.

"I wanna see the fox!" Bra said. "Show me!"

Vegeta rolled his eyes, "Not even a hello for your father. I raised you better." He did turn the phone around to the now sleeping fox and Bra's muffled scream came from the phone making it's big ears perk up. When Vegeta turned the phone around, he saw Trunks had put a hand over her mouth.

"That's not a fox, that's a maned wolf." Trunks dropped his hand from his sister's mouth.

"Let's check shall we." Vegeta turned the phone back towards the animal. "Hey, are you a maned wolf?". No response. "Are you a fox?" The fox lifted it's head, it's ears twitching as it let out a huff. "Well, look at that. Seems like it knows what it is better than you do."

"It's just responding to your voice Dad," Trunks corrected.

"Is that so? Bark twice if you're a fox."

The fox let out two of those odd barks before resting it's head on the table.

"I thought you were cleaning out your father's house. Why did you spend a week training a wild animal?" Bulma asked.

"I didn't. This thing has been prowling around the old shrine near my house. Either someone domesticated it and let it go, or my father had some strange hobbies."

Bra was bouncing in Bulma's lap, "Can we keep it?!"

The fox yawned, showing off all it's sharp, yellow teeth before snapping it's maw shut.

"No." Bulma and Vegeta chorused.

"So explain, did you call about the fox or the house or just to check in on us." Bulma said.

“A little bit of everything. I won’t be coming back until the end of the month.”

“WHAAATT.” Bra yelled the same time Trunk’s asked, “Why?”

“We’ve decided that your Uncle Tarble and Aunt Gure will be taking the house. Their eldest only finished their first year of school recently, so it won’t be a hard transition for any of them. There’s a lot of paperwork I have to fill out during the transition of property. Not to mention, hiring inspectors, sending maps of the house and city layout, and making sure this place can handle the damage of five children. Anything that’s old or busted, I need to have replaced before they start moving in. I’m lucky the inspector I was given can look at everything this week."

Bulma shifted Bra out of her lap. “That is lucky. Can they get everything installed the very next week, or is that asking too much?”

“Who knows. Gure’s going to need a few weeks to settle before she’s ready to take the baby anyhow, and by then Tarble will be coming in to check on things. Her sister, will be staying with them in the meantime while everything’s being finalized.”

“Do they get to keep the fox?” Bra’s ponytail popped up.

“No one is keeping the fox. Don’t you two have homework.”

His children groaned at the question, but the conversation went on for another hour and a half. They talked about what they did during the week. Bulma had taken them to the amusement park near the port. Yamcha had stolen the kids for a day to go to the lake, and they swam while he fished. There was a festival later this month that Bulma was looking for new yukatas for the two. All in all a busy week. He listened, nodding and letting an affirming grunt when necessary until Bulma shooed them off to do their homework.

“Can we call you again in a few days?”

“I should be free,” he paused. Should he tell her about the shrine? On one hand, his connection to it was very personal, but she usually respected his space when it came to discussing his parents. On the other hand, the only thing he wanted to talk about was the man he met yesterday after making the stupid prayer, and he knew she would laugh at him about it. “Just call me closer to dinner time.”

“All right. See you later fox boy.”

“Bye.” He hung up, looking over to see the fox sitting up on all fours. “What?”

It huffed and walked into the hallway. Vegeta had no choice but to follow. He didn’t need the damn thing getting lost in the house sleeping who knows where. When it got to the back door, Vegeta stopped. He listened closely for the sound of rain or thunder to hear nothing. He took a few steps forward and opened the door to see the ground wet, but not a drop falling from the sky. The fox barked at him and dashed outside. Vegeta watched it disappear into the foliage. Taking a deep breath, he shut the door.

Now where was he? His foot hit a box, knocking it over and spilling its contents to the floor. Right. He needed to burn these porn magazines.


	3. Sniff Around

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> un-beta'd draft

Raditz knocking on his door on Wednesday was unexpected, but to be followed by that idiot he'd fallen on the previous Friday, and to have both be the promised inspectors boxed Vegeta in a corner.

"You never told me you had a brother, " Vegeta said as he watched Goku pull off a wall panel.

"It's complicated."

"Enlighten me then." Especially as to why Goku was wearing the tightest shirt possible. That couldn't be comfortable or professional. The sleeves on that thing were close to tearing at the seams.

"He got snatched as a baby after he was born. By the time we found him, he had brain damage, and only our grandfather had access to the resources necessary to care for him in a different city."

"Ah… so he's handicapped?"

Raditz narrowed his eyes at Vegeta. "He's a slow learner socially, but he mostly suffers from chronic headaches. The surgeons did a good job on him."

"That still doesn't explain why you never mentioned him."

"Like how you never mentioned you knocked up a random woman on your graduation night, and let me know through the invitation to your shotgun wedding?"

"Shut up, Raditz."

Goku was walking back over, a clipboard in his hand and a frown on his face, "I'm gonna be honest. The wirin' in this place looks weird."

"Weird how?" Vegeta raised an eyebrow.

"First of all, I can't find the grounding. Next, the service panels for the outlets are missin'."

Raditz blinked at him, "How is that possible? You must've missed them."

"You can double check, but the wires just keep goin' up."

Vegeta watched Raditz walk into the sitting room and start looking behind the panel Goku had taken off. Oh great. He was left with the asshole. Goku had a pen behind his ear as he tapped his finger along the list.

“Ya really want us to check everything?”

“Yes. My brother, and his wife are moving in here with their small child army. I want this place to be up to code before then.”

"Oh, by the way." Goku pulled out some change from his pocket and put it in Vegeta's hand.

"The hell is this?"

"Kakarot." Raditz called.

"The money ya shoved at me. I don't want it."

"You'd rather waste my personal time than have me compensate for your damaged flowers?"

"Kakarot!"

Goku shrugged. "I don't really need money."

"GOKU."

"WHAT. I'M TALKIN RIGHT NOW."

"We're here to work first. Now come here, and tell me if I'm seeing this wrong," Raditz had opened his toolbox at some point.

Goku stomped over, but softened his footsteps when he got to the tatami. The two looked into the panel before backing up and following the line. Vegeta watched Raditz lift his brother onto his shoulder to remove a higher wall panel. There were muttering to each other as he set Goku down to keep following the wall. After circling the main room for a couple minutes, Raditz looked up and made a face.

"Goku, do you know how to take off this type of lighting?"

"Without chipping the ceilin away? Nope."

"Hoist me up." 

Goku did rather easily, and Vegeta wondered why the hell these idiots didn't bring a ladder. Perhaps they were recommended because they were always giving a show. Raditz used a flat tool to pop the light fixture off only to groan.

"Guess who found the service panels," Raditz said.

Vegeta chose that moment to walk over. "What's wrong?"

"Looks like they wired the service panels above the light fixtures for the whole house." Goku filled in.

"What does that mean?"

"It means, depending on when this rewiring happened, your father was one busted lightbulb away from dying in a house fire." Raditz tapped Goku's shoulder and was set onto his feet, putting gloves on as he walked off saying, "They're going to have to rewire the whole house."

"And just how long will that take?"

"A week. Five or seven days usually. Did ya want the pipes replaced too?" Goku asked.

"Five or seven- wait, what's wrong with the pipes?"

"They're lead, and old. Yer risking lead poisoning, and if lil kids are drinkin from the tap, that's a death sentence. It's better to switch 'em to copper."

Vegeta's eyes widened. "And how long will that take?"

"Considerin how big this house is? Another week."

"A week for the electricity, and another for the water. Anything else I should be wary about?"

Goku scratched the back of his neck, "Well, I'm sure everything else is fine. We gotta check the insulation, ventilation, foundation, and other structure stuff, but this place is in really good shape besides these two hiccups. Worst case scenario, there's asbestos in the walls."

"Kakarot,  _ there is _ asbestos in the walls," Raditz was holding a panel in one hand and some pink cottony looking fabric in the other.

"Okay, that takes like three days to replace. No problem."

"Faulty wiring, lead pipes, asbestos insulation. No wonder my father died in this place." Vegeta was ready to pull his hair out. "I shouldn't even be sleeping here."

"Well, no, but when the work guys come ya can't. They got a lotta stuff they need to take apart, and that'll send all kinds of other stuff in the air. Plus it's too hot to be inside without air conditionin," Goku was looking over his clipboard, his brow furrowed in concentration.

Vegeta told himself it wasn't attractive, and reminded himself that he had a huge housing bill he'd be filling soon.

"You got a basement in here?"

Raditz tossed the insulation sample into a bag from his fanny pack and asked, "Did your father ever seal up that wine cellar?"

"He didn't, but I can't find the key, and I'm not a lock pick."

"I can pick em. How old is the lock?" Goku took out a small pack of tools from his own pack, flipping it open to reveal a few picks and odd half key devices.

Vegeta raised an eyebrow, but gestured his head towards the hallway. "Follow me."

Vegeta had only been in the wine cellar three times in his life. The first time was in elementary school, when he'd invited Turles and Raditz over for their first sleepover. He was dared to stay down there for five minutes, but when he tried to come back up the door had been blocked. At first, he thought they were trying to scare him, but Tarble had caught them trying to break open the lock with a variety of things including their comics and a big kitchen knife. His mother had come into the house during the commotion, and easily opened the door pulling him into their arms. No one made that dare again.

The second time was shortly after his mother passed. Vegeta was angry at the world, and he knew adults drank to feel better. He stomped down there while his father and brother were still at the hospital. Struggled to open bottles and broke one in the process, until he found a cork puller and drank what he could. It tasted awful, but it made him feel weird and fuzzy before he puked. His father berated him at first, but he made the connections that Vegeta was looking for some outlet to mourn. He'd just chosen the wrong one. The talk they had when Vegeta wasn't feeling as bad was somber, but necessary.

The third time had been after Vegeta got his acceptance letter into his first choice university. His father told him to go down there and pick the bottle he thought was the nicest. They each only drank a glass, Vegeta cringing at the bitterness making his father laugh as a result. He noted that Vegeta Sr brought the exact same type of wine to his wedding as a gift. The man could be funny when he wanted to be.

When they got to the hatch in the floor, Vegeta got a small sense of dread. There were still the scratch marks in the paint where Turles had tried stabbing through all those years ago. A long crack ran along the left board of the frame, deep enough to squeeze the tip of his pinky in but no further. There was no padlock, just a latch, and under it a hole where a key should go.

"Wow, this looks creepy." Goku got onto all fours with his kit as he took out a few small tools.

The pants clung to his legs due to the mass of his thighs, and Vegeta might've been impressed if he had an ass to compliment them. Well. You can't have it all.

"Do you keep ghosts down here?"

"No, but I've got a fine cask of Amontillado if you're interested."

"I don't know what that is." Goku pressed his ear against the door as he worked the lock open.

"While you two are flirting, I'm going to go check the roof." Raditz shook his head, going back down the hall. "Don't get locked down there."

Vegeta opened his mouth to retort when there was a snickt, and the creaking of wood. He actually got it open. Goku moved to sit on the edge of the opening, one leg bent on the second stair and the other left to dangle. He pulled out a small screw driver and began digging into the wood with it.

"What are you doing now? The doors already unlocked."

"I know. I'm takin the lock off. In case the wind knocks it closed, I don't want us trapped under there waitin for Raditz to find a key."

Vegeta nodded, "I'm guessing that's happened to you before?"

"Twelve times. Ya learn not ta take any chances sooner or later."

He wanted to ask why it took Goku 12 times to start taking locks off of doors, but he didn’t know how long he’d been doing this job, nor how many houses he’d inspected. That might be a small number in comparison.

“Let’s test it. Go in, and I’ll shut the door.” Goku stood from the ground bringing his tools up with him.

“Why aren’t you going down there?”

“Cause if I go down there, and ya can’t open the door we gotta wait for Raditz to come back. If you go down there, ya gotta wait five minutes before I fix it?” Goku looked at Vegeta like he was the idiot.

He had a point, but it didn’t mean Vegeta was happy about it. He muttered, descending the staircase far enough that he could close the door without hitting his head. It closed with a snickt, shutting out all the light from above. He waited ten seconds, and gave the door a push. It opened easily, Goku sitting on the other side with a smile on his stupid face.

“Okay. It’ll have to go lockless for a while, but at least it’ll stay open. Let's head on down." Goku pulled out a large lense from his fanny pack. He then tapped a button on the side making a handle jump out, so he could flip the switch. The capsule Corp logo stood out on the side. When in the hell had that woman made pop up flashlights?

He walked by Vegeta, the light illuminating the old wooden stairs and breaking a hole into the darkness below. Vegeta didn't think twice about following, his own curiosity winning out over any perceived danger. Had his father changed anything about it? His first assumption was no due to the doors' condition, but perhaps it was something he'd learned to live with. His parents would always open the door easily, while he and his brother struggled with it the few times they'd tried. Although, he had a feeling Tarble tried messing with the door more often than he had. 

Downstairs were wooden barrels stacked on top of each other plugged with corks sealed with wax. Dates were drawn on the fronts in a black ink over the light wood, and there was an acrid smell in the air. On the furthest wall was a shelf holding stacks and stacks of large glass bottles still full. Goku whistled low, looking from the barrels to the shelf and back.

"What're ya gonna do with all this?"

"Sell it. Gift what doesn't sell, and donate what can't be gifted."

"Can I have one?"

"Do you know anything about wine?"

"Not really."

"Will you take it as payment for the damaged flowers?"

Goku smiled at him, and said, "Nope. Ya still gotta take me out for coffee."

"How do you know I'm not straight?"

"Cause I asked Raditz about ya when I got home, and he was mad you didn't tell him you were in town."

"Is that why you're wearing that ridiculously small shirt today?"

Goku looked down at himself, "Actually it's laundry day, but I didn't think it was that bad." He took a deep breath making his chest swell and the shirt cling tighter. "Well, too late to do anything about that. I'm gonna go check the support beams."

Vegeta watched him pull a smaller flashlight from his pouch and open it the same way he did the first. He passed it to Vegeta with a smile before walking deeper into the cellar. Now what should Vegeta do? Stare at barrels until he was finished? He clicked the flashlight on, when Goku's got dimmer, and turned to look at the barrels. He should check the dates and timestamps for these things. He wouldn't risk tasting a few as he had no bowl to spit out what he'd try. He should've brought a notebook down for this.

When he reached up to grab the first barrel, something shifted in the air. He felt goosebumps spread over his arms as a breeze flower through the basement disturbing the cool air. A flutter of small leaves ran out with the dust, followed by a pattering from above. Was Raditz finished already?

"Raditz?!"

No response.

"We're still down here, so don't close the door!"

Still nothing.

Oddly enough, Goku didn't say anything about his shouting either. Cold fingers pressed against the back of his neck making him snap his head around to find the culprit. Yet, there was no one. Only dusty barrels resting on wooden bars greeted him. Was Goku messing with him? That had to be the case, since he doubted anyone was living down here in secret. With a growl, Vegeta started for the stairs, the beams from his flashlight keeping him from stumbling into anything. When he looked to the top, he saw the fox from the shrine.

"I shelter you from the rain once and you're already breaking in!" Vegeta began walking up the stairs only for a large gust of wind to slam the door shut. "YOU LITTLE SHIT."

"Vegeta? Who are you talkin to?"

He turned around to see Goku was at the bottom of the stairs, his expression confused. Where was he when Vegeta was calling out earlier? "This damn fox that's been stalking me since I got home just slammed the door on us."

"A fox? " Goku walked by him, taking the stairs two at a time to get to the door. "And no worries. I took the lock off. It's in my pack, so-." He tried the door and it didn't budge. He tried again pressing so hard that the wood began to groan, but it still didn't budge.

"Do not tell me we're trapped down here until your brother returns."

"...Okay. I won't tell ya that." He took the pen from behind his ear and jotted something down. "But I am writin down that you wanna get a whole new door for this cellar, and adding recommendations for an alarm system, plus some lights in case the new door works like this one."

"That helps so much now." The sarcasm was dripping from Vegeta's tone as he stomped back down the stairs.

The basement was cool, so it's not as though they'd die of heat stroke, but he didn't like the idea of being trapped down here for any extended period of time. He would've texted Raditz to finish faster, but Vegeta had left his phone upstairs. Could he even get signal down here? Leaves crunched under his shoes as he dropped down the last stair. Goku followed behind him the scritching of a pencil on paper breaking the silence while the flashlight bounced on his hip. After they got back to the barrels Vegeta was previously staring at, there was some shuffling along with the sound of a can being opened.

"So, tell me about yourself."

Vegeta looked at Goku over his shoulder. The man was sitting cross legged on the ground with a can of juice in his hand. "Are you serious?"

"I mean, we can talk, or we can make out if ya want to? I don't really wanna sit in the dark doin' nothin' til he gets back."

"What did you just say?" Vegeta's cheeks darkened with a blush.

"I said I don't wanna sit in the dark doin' nothin'."

"No! The other thing!"

"That we could talk?"

He was being obtuse on purpose. Vegeta couldn't acknowledge it. He needed to ignore it. If he mentioned it, that would imply interest, and then they'd start talking about it, and he didn't want to know where that went. Instead he found a small stool, and used it to sit so he was facing the oaf.

"What's with the juice?"

"This? My blood sugar dips sometimes. Been like that since I was a kid. Gotta have some on hand whenever I got out, so I always get the orange ones. The apple ones taste kinda weird, and I used to get the grape ones until they changed the recipe or did something with it. Stopped tastin right even with ice. Still wonder what they did, cause I can't drink this kind after brushing my teeth, and I really liked the grape ones. Want one? It's a little warm though."

"I'm fine."

They were silent for a few moments before Goku spoke up again. "So, are you always this quiet and mysterious?"

Vegeta smirked, "Is that how I come off to you?"

"Yeah, ya haven't really talked much ta me or my brother since I got here, and you two seem like you’re besties."

"Besties?"

"Best friends. You're not up on the lingo the kids are usin these days?"

"Lingo? How old are you?"

"34. You?"

"38. Why is your vocabulary switching from a teenager to an old man's?"

"I was raised by my grandpa, and I got two kids, so-,” Goku gestured vaguely to the air around him.

Vegeta's eyes widened in shock. "You have children?"

"Yeah, two boys. Gohan and Goten, they're my whole world. It's Gohan's second year in high school, and Goten is getting ready for junior high."

Vegeta took a moment to do the math. "You had them rather young didn't you."

"Happy accidents, both of em." Goku smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Chi was talkin about havin babies and getting married since I met her my first year. Her ma wasn't too happy, but her dad said he was glad it was me all things considered. Just wish I coulda done better for her."

It seemed as though he and Goku were more alike than he would've thought.

"Wow, that got awful depressin. We're still friends now if it's any consultation, and I can spend time with my boys whenever I feel like, so it's no problem."

Vegeta could understand the situation. Hell, he still basically lived with Bulma although he had his own apartment. It was as if the construction of the marriage itself was what ruined their relationship. Intellectually, they could keep each other stimulated. Sexually had been easy too, but romantically? Intimately? Platonically? Vegeta was about as likely to open up as cleanly as two fingers strapped together with gorilla glue. Of course things had fallen apart like they did. He was glad to have been able to salvage their friendship, and the relationship with his children when all was said and done.

“Here I am talkin about me, when I asked about you.”

Vegeta snapped out of his train of thought. “Just because you don’t know how to shut up doesn’t mean I’m going to spill my guts to you.”

“Ya don’t gotta tell me nothin serious. Just usual stuff. Like work, or family, or stuff you do with your friends. I watch martial arts tournaments with my friends. And this house consulting business is in the family, so…” He let the sentence trail off with a shrug.

“I’m a contract worker,” Vegeta started. He mulled it over before saying, “I don’t like being bossed around, so having a temporary boss makes things easier.”

Goku made an “oohh” noise and nodded to show he was listening.

“It’s a coincidence that our lives aren’t that different. Family wise I mean.” Vegeta crossed one leg over the other. “Why does your brother call you Kakarot?”

“Oh, that? It’s my birth name, but our grandpa called me Goku. I don’t know if it was a nickname or something, but I liked it. Raditz stopped likin his nickname when he got older though.”

Vegeta was curious about that, but he’d ask his friend later. He leaned forward a bit, giving the other a once-over. “You know, you said something odd a little while ago.”

“I did?”

“Yes.” Vegeta raised an eyebrow, placing a socked foot on Goku’s knee. Vegeta watched his adam’s apple bob with a large swallow. “I wasn’t sure if I heard you right.”

“Well, I say all sorts of stuff. My pa said I ramble a lil bit, so he told me to start puttin weird stuff into my conversations to see if people are still listenin. It’s-OW..” Goku clutched at his knee where Vegeta had promptly dropped the heel of his foot into. “What was that for?”

"Why is the door closed!" Raditz's voice came from the top of the staircase. Light from the entryway brightened the staircase, but couldn't quite pierce the darkness that kept them hidden.

Goku barely blinked as swept himself onto his feet.

"An animal broke into my house and slammed the door shut. Did you see it on the way in?" Vegeta turned off his flashlight and popped it close before tossing it back to Goku.

"I didn't see any animal, but I can see someone got locked down there when I told him not to." Raditz moved out of the way, so Vegeta could walk up. Goku was right behind him, clipboard tucked under his arm and a glare on his face. "Something wrong?"

"I took the lock off."

Raditz opened his mouth to say something, closed it as he chewed the inside of his lip, and sighed. "Look down here." He went over to the back of the door where the bolts were. "There's another locking mechanism here. You probably didn't see it, but it activates if the door is shut too hard. It might've worked smoother when it was new to prevent thieves from escaping."

The glare slowly relaxed to an expression that looked more tired and a little embarrassed as he watched the latch click in place while crouched next to his brother. 

"Let's continue the inspection. You finish down here, and I'll head up. If you finish before me, go ahead and follow." Raditz let the basement door shut.

"Got it." 

Vegeta watched them part ways, and thought about finishing their conversation only to be dragged, by his arm, up the stairs when Goku's back was turned. He let it happen, his socked feet quiet on the steps when they made it to the top.

He wanted to ask why the suddenness for the gesture, but Raditz was already bombarding him with questions about the house. It's condition, what files he had on it from his father, if there were any previous history of accidents or infestations and so on. There was a lot of paperwork that was exchanged and needed to be exchanged during the inspection. Normally, the process would go through third parties, but Vegeta and Raditz knew each other well enough that it wasn't needed. Goku joined them about forty minutes later with his own questions about downstairs. He kept his tone professional, although he did catch Vegeta's eyes wandering on more than one occasion. Vegeta couldn’t help but fail to fight his curiosity, because how would those muscles spring in a fight?

Another hour or so passed of questioning, inspecting, and opening previously locked doors. The more they found, the uglier the final bill would look. Perhaps he could convice someone that fixing this house was a family effort, so his very rich ex-wife would help her favorite sister in law with a majority of the fees. Vegeta wasn’t happy to have that conversation, but that was a problem to settle later. He had a more urgent dilemma getting into the passenger side of a truck in his driveway.

“Are you still interested in coffee?” Vegeta had to look up at Goku from how high the vehicle sat on it’s wheels.

“Wha- really?”

Raditz snorted, “We’re not supposed to date clients.”

“I’m free all this week, but I don’t have a phone aside from my work one,” Goku ignored him.

“That’s fine. How’s two on Saturday? We can meet in front of the station near the west exit.”

Goku’s expression lit up, his smile soft at the corners, and Vegeta could’ve sworn the sun was making his eyes sparkle. Maybe he inhaled something when those two were removing all the panels from his house.

“I’d love to. See ya at two.”

“I’m pulling out now,” Raditz declared as the car started to move.

Vegeta gave him a smug smile and waved them off. After the truck was out of sight, he turned around to see a perfect spiral of leaves careen between the trees.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haven't been into dbz as of late due to my powerful and strong obsession with lupin iii but this fic is almost basically finished, so i can drum up the rest of chapter 4 and finish off with chapter 5 sometime this year, idk when, i cannot promise dates unfortunately however thank you all so much for sticking around nonetheless


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